In recent years, a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor as driving sources of the vehicle has attracted attention due to societal demands for fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles. Some of such hybrid vehicles are adapted to perform deceleration regeneration of converting kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy and collecting (charging) the energy in a high-voltage battery at the time of deceleration of the vehicle (such as when an accelerator is released) to thus have extended time for which the vehicle can perform EV drive and increased fuel efficiency, the EV drive allowing the vehicle to run while being driven by rotation of the motor using the electric energy. However, a loss is generated during electric power generation (and discharging performed on EV drive) at the time of deceleration regeneration, so that deceleration regeneration may not be the most effective way to increase the fuel efficiency depending on the conditions.
What is favorable in terms of fuel efficiency is coasting drive (coasting drive in a neutral state) on which the kinetic energy and potential energy of the vehicle can be directly used for running, where the engine may be stopped during the coasting drive to be able to eliminate fuel consumption and a friction loss of the engine and have increased fuel efficiency.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of increasing fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle, for example. Torque assist of a motor is used to perform vehicle speed control of controlling the vehicle speed such that the vehicle speed is maintained or that deceleration is decreased when an accelerator pedal is released, at which time there is selected either vehicle speed maintaining control or deceleration control at predetermined deceleration on the basis of a state of charge of a battery.